A Toddler's Flight
by Healer Pomfrey
Summary: What'll happen if four year old Harry flees from Uncle Vernon and his belt, suddenly finding himself flying on the broom he was supposed to use to clean the kitchen floor? Completely AU, mentioning abuse!Dursleys, childfic.


**A Toddler's Flight**

Four-year-old Harry really tried hard to clean the kitchen floor, but the broom Aunt Petunia had thrust into his small hands was so huge, and the dirt kept getting forward and backward. He did his best to count the tiles on the floor, telling himself that the floor was clean up to the fifth row of tiles from the fridge onwards, but then, when he counted again there was dirt down in the fourth row again. After an infinite time of trying he sat down on the floor and began to cry.

However, he was up on his feet quickly when all of a sudden Uncle Vernon stepped into the room, swinging his belt, and beginning to shout, "You ungrateful lazy freak, I'll teach you what it means to work and earn your keep!"

Harry immediately began to panic. He knew that belt, and he was aware of the fact that it meant pain. Before he even realized what was happening, he found himself outside the backdoor in the garden, sitting on the large broom, and slowly flying up into the air. '_I'm flying_,' he realized, unsure if he should panic or enjoy his flight but soon decided to enjoy himself, thinking, '_Uncle Vernon can't get me here_.'

The toddler had no idea how it could have happened that he was flying and where he was heading; however, after an infinite time of flying over the garage and the street as well as over several gardens, he heard Mrs. Figg, the strange lady with the cats, call out to him.

"Harry," the old lady shouted, "come down, child, before you hurt yourself."

Harry, however, didn't know how to get down and looked down towards the voice in order to ask the old lady, noticing that he was flying over her garden, where he had played with her cats last weekend. Seeing how far the ground was away he became frightened and began to cry, eventually losing the grip on the broomstick as he fervently rubbed his eyes against the tears that were clouding his vision.

While he tumbled down towards the ground, he heard the old lady shout his name in desperation, before everything turned black and he knew nothing more.

HP HEALER POMFREY HP

Mrs. Figg hurried over to the child, noticing in relief that he was still breathing. She left the boy where he was and rushed to the fireplace, shouting, "Albus Dumbledore!" into the green flames.

A few seconds later, the Headmaster of Hogwarts stepped out of the fireplace. "Good morning, Arabella. Is something wrong with little Harry?"

"Yes, he fell from a broom, but it's not a flying broom. He came over from the Dursleys' garden flying on a normal kitchen broom; anyway, he's unconscious; I'm afraid you have to send Madam Pomfrey."

"He was flying on a broom?" Dumbledore queried with an expression of shock and disbelief on his face, before he turned back to the fireplace and called the Mediwitch.

"Hello Arabella," Pomfrey greeted her in surprise and listened terrified to the old lady's explanations. "Where is he?" she asked urgently and bustled into the garden, where she instantly waved her wand over the unconscious child. "He was really lucky," she informed the others as she slid her wand back into her robe pocket. "He got away with only a concussion." She threw the Headmaster a stern look. "Albus, I should take the little tyke with me to ensure that he is put on absolute bed rest for a week and that he receives the necessary potions."

The Headmaster let out a long sigh. "Poppy, don't you think Harry's aunt will be well able to ensure that?"

"I know that you don't want to listen to Arabella, but after everything I heard from her concerning Harry and his treatment at the Durselys', I doubt that, Albus," the always calm Mediwitch replied heatedly, before she conjured a small pillow, which she gently slid under Harry's head, and tried to wake him up.

"Harry, sweetie, wake up please. Can you open your eyes for me?" she spoke to Harry in a soft voice, causing the child to stir.

Harry immediately began to cry, because his head hurt so much and he couldn't help thinking, '_I wished someone would speak in such a kind voice to me, but Aunt Petunia only speaks so nicely to Dudley_.' He slowly opened his eyes, looking straight into a woman's face, which somehow felt familiar.

"Hello Harry, I'm Poppy," the Mediwitch cooed. "Do you remember me?" she queried, noticing that some sort of recognition flashed in Harry's eyes.

"I don't know," Harry replied frightened, slowly averting his eyes to the sky. '_It hurts as much as the belt_,' he mused as he brought his right hand up to his forehead, rubbing it fiercely.

"Don't do that sweetie, you have a concussion," Poppy told him, gently prying his hand away from his forehead. "Does your head hurt very much?"

Harry gave her a slight nod, wincing at the additional pain the small movement caused. The Healer unobtrusively conjured a small spoon, before she pulled a phial out of her robe pocket, from which she took a spoonful onto the spoon, holding it out to the child as she carefully raised his head just a little bit.

"Drink this, Harry; it'll help with the pain," she instructed him in a soft but firm voice.

Something in her voice made Harry comply, and he sighed in relief as he felt the effects of the potion. "Thank you," he said gratefully, turning his eyes back to the kind lady in amazement.

"You're welcome, sweetie," Poppy replied gently. "However, it's not gone yet. You'll need several more potions, and you need to stay in bed for a week."

Harry sadly shook his head, slyly averting his eyes once more. "I can't have no mecine and I need to earn my keep," he explained to the Mediwitch, who was taken aback by his words.

Throwing the Headmaster, who was standing aside listening together with Arabella, a menacing glare, she queried, "Harry, can you tell me why you were flying a broom?"

"I don't know," Harry gave back, hesitantly turning his eyes back to the Mediwitch with a frightened expression on his face. "I had to clean the kitchen, but I couldn't do it right, and Uncle Vernon was there with the belt, and I was afraid cause belt hurts," he mumbled, uncertain how he had gotten onto the broom.

"And then you used accidental magic and ended up flying," Poppy concluded the explanation. "You know Mrs. Figg, don't you?" she asked and seeing Harry mouth a positive answer called Arabella over. "Arabella, stay with Harry for a moment please; I have to speak with Albus."

"Of course," Mrs. Figg replied and crouched next to Harry on the grass, while Pomfrey stepped over to the Headmaster.

"Albus, Harry is obviously abused. My diagnostic spell told me that his body is full of bruises and welts. Could you hear what Harry said about his uncle threatening him with a belt? It seems that his uncle is often making use of it."

Dumbledore thoughtfully stroked his long white beard. "Yes, I heard that, and I will go and speak with Petunia. It's too dangerous if he begins to fly around his Muggle neighbourhood anyway. I just hope no one saw Harry when he was flying. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to leave a powerful child as Harry with Muggles. Poppy, take him to Hogwarts at least until he is completely recovered. I'll speak with Petunia and come to a decision about what to do later on," he replied and strode away.

Madam Pomfrey returned to Harry's side and gently took his hand, noticing that it was becoming very warm. "Harry, I have to put you to bed and give you some more potions for your concussion and your fever. I live at a huge school, where I am the Healer and look after the sick students. Would you mind coming with me until you're better?"

"Kay," Harry mumbled, feeling very drowsy. "Aunt Tunia and Uncle Vernon will be so angry though," he mused, unaware of the fact that the words had left his mouth.

"Why should your aunt and uncle be angry Harry?" Poppy asked incredulously, trying not to let the child sense that she was getting very upset.

"Cause I'm not loud mecine and no tell if it hurts," Harry mumbled wearily.

"You should tell me if something hurts, because I need to know that in order to help you get better," Poppy gently reassured him, "and of course you may have medicine, you even need medicine, and that's why we need to go. You must close your eyes. You will feel a strange pull behind your navel for a moment, but then it'll pass, and we'll be there in an instant. Don't be afraid, I'll be with you all the time." With that, Poppy sat behind Harry, carefully adjusting his head so it came to lie on her lap, before she held his small hand against the ring on her left hand and was just going to whisper the incantation activating her Portkey to the Hogwarts hospital wing when the Headmaster returned.

"Poppy, you and Minerva were right all the time. I made a severe mistake. I should never have left Harry with the Dursleys," he said gravely, letting out a deep sigh. "Since I don't want him to be brought up as a second Tom Riddle, from now on we're going to raise him at Hogwarts."

"Thank God, Albus," Madam Pomfrey replied, sighing in relief as she activated the Portkey.

**The End**

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I'm not a native speaker of English. Please excuse my mistakes or help me to correct them._

_All recognizable characters belong to J. K. Rowling, and I am not earning anything by writing this story._


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